Money for nothing

8 September 2014 By Daniel Indiviglio

The Koch brothers, Mark Zuckerberg, George Soros and others open their wallets to influence public policy. A new political power index suggests neither party has a clear edge. The rankings are more art than science, but at least the mega-wealthy are keeping tabs on each other.

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Brookings Institution scholar Darrell West published his U.S. Billionaires Political Power Index on Sept. 5. The author, a part of the Washington think tank’s Governance Studies department, will release a book on billionaires on Sept. 18. He created the political power ranking based on his interpretation of research on campaign contributions, activism through nonprofit organizations, ownership of major media outlets and case studies on policy and advocacy efforts of the ultra-rich.

The top spot goes to Charles and David Koch, who work together to advance right-leaning policy and have a combined net worth of about $72 billion. America’s richest couple, Bill and Melinda Gates, also account for about $72 billion but are ranked seventh. The list also includes investors Warren Buffett and George Soros and media moguls Michael Bloomberg and Rupert Murdoch.

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